GSMA Highlights 5G, Other Key Themes of MWC19

This year’s Mobile World Congress Barcelona is a wrap, and organizer GSMA is celebrating a very successful event.

The mobile alliance says that MWC19 Barcelona saw 109,000 visitors from all over the world, with 55 percent of attendees being senior-level executives and 7,900 being CEOs. The event also attracted 3,640 media and industry analysts, and is estimated to have contributed €473 million to the local economy.

Commenting on the successful event, GSMA CEO John Hoffman emphasized the prominence of 5G technology at this year’s flagship MWC. “With the theme of ‘Intelligent Connectivity’, 5G was prominent at MWC19 and it was exciting to see a glimpse of that new world, with 5G-enabled handsets launched, new products and services, and even the first demonstration of live tele-monitored surgery over 5G technology,” he said, adding, “The mobile industry continues to make strong progress with 5G and MWC Barcelona continues to showcase the best and most creative elements of our connected world.”

Face biometrics facilitated frictionless access control at this year’s Mobile World Congress.

Of course, other major tech trends in the mobile world shared the spotlight, too, with artificial intelligence, big data, the Internet of Things, VR/AR, and biometrics generating a lot of buzz. The latter, in fact, was more prominent than ever, with organizers having implemented a new biometric access system that allowed visitors to register to gain entry to the MWC venue with a face scan, instead of having to show ID or badges. Biometrics have become integral in mobile technologies over the last few years, and this new ‘BREEZ’ system offered the latest indication of just how prominent biometric tech is in the mobile world.